News
Thousands expected at Harbour for powerboat race
A bumper calendar of events next June could see thousands descend on Galway Harbour, marking a return to the carnival atmosphere last witnessed during the two Volvo Ocean Races visits to the city.
The biggest event will be a stopover of the Venture Cup, when a fleet of up to 25 of the best powerboat racers from across the world will race in 1,000 miles of challenging seas along the Irish coastline over seven days of intense competition.
Described as the longest, toughest and most prestigious powerboat race in the world, Galway will be the only port out of six where the stunning craft will compete in inport racing. Using the Aran Islands as a chicane along the route, the races held over four days from June 16 and involving vessels that have broken speed records of 244mph will be visible from the Prom in Salthill.
“Not only will spectators see them race in Galway Bay, because of the uniqueness of our harbour, the public will get the chance to get up close to these boats – possibly even get on board. They really are magnificent,” said Harbour Master Captain Brian Sheridan.
“There are aspirations to turn it into a mini-Volvo Ocean Race but that all depends on the marketing drive and how the organisers get their message out there. It won’t be as big as 2012, but there should be food stalls, prize giving and entertainment along the harbour.”
Around 1,000 people directly connected to the race between onshore crew and competitors will be in town, while Capt Sheridan predicts 5,000 visitors are likely to attend the event. However, organisers believe that between Cork, Dingle, Galway, Killybegs, Belfast and Dublin, up to a million boat enthusiasts could descend on the ports to soak up the atmosphere.
“It’s no secret that Ireland can party better than most, so competitors and visitors can expect nightly celebrations just as big as the waves the teams will be forced to crash over, through and under,” remarked one organiser at the launch in London last week.
There could even be a bit of celebrity spotting. Recruited to the Vector Martini team – already tipped to be among the favourites – will be model David Gandy, with British adventurer Bear Grylls also expected to be involved.
The youngest competitor will be Adam Brennan (18), son of John Brennan, hotelier and co-star of RTÉ’s At Your Service.
“This is a return to true adventure in racing,” remarked Aidan Foley, event director for the Venture Cup.
“We’re seeing too much predictability in motorsport right now, too much blandness. When you add the types of conditions we’re expecting, into a mix of 25 top international teams full of personality, bravery and good old fashioned derring-do, you get a sports event which is wildly more exciting than what’s currently out there.
“We think people are going to love following this race. Whether they’re watching on land or on-line, we’re going to give them something very special and unique.”
The race will be covered by the world’s top sports channels as the monohulled racers pass landmarks such as the Fastnet Rock, Blasket Sound and the Giant’s Causeway. The progress of the teams can be tracked through a special app.
The crews will be competing for the Venture Cup – first presented in 1908 by a member of the famous Vanderbilt family – with the winning nation to be presented with the British International Harmsworth Trophy dating back to 1903 and widely recognised as the equivalent of sailing’s America’s Cup.
It will be an extremely busy month for the harbour. Seafest 2016, an initiative of the national maritime plan HOOW – Harnessing Our Ocean Worth – is a national festival and conference which takes place at the Docks the last weekend of June. In the region of 10,000 industry figures descended on Cork for the last one, according to Capt Sheridan.
The Challenge Galway Triathlon Festival – involving a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride finished with a 42km run – will be held June 24-26. This is expected to attract around 5,000 people to the city.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
On the eve of completing his 150th marathon, an odyssey that has taken him across 53 countries, Loughrea’s Marathon Man has announced that he is planning to hang up his running shoes.
But not before Jarlath Fitzgerald completes another ten races, making it 160 marathons on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
“I want to draw the line in 2026. I turn 57 in October and when I reach 60 it’s the finishing line. The longer races are taking it out of me. I did 20 miles there two weeks ago and didn’t feel good. It’s getting harder,” he reveals.
“I’ve arthritis in both hips and there’s wear and tear in the knees.”
We speak as he is about to head out for a run before his shift in Supervalu Loughrea. Despite his physical complaints, he still clocks up 30 miles every second week and generally runs four days a week.
Jarlath receives injections to his left hip to keep the pain at bay while running on the road.
To give his joints a break, during the winter he runs cross country and often does a five-mile trek around Kylebrack Wood.
He is planning on running his 150th marathon in Cork on June 4, where a group of 20 made up of work colleagues, friends and running mates from Loughrea Athletics Club will join him.
Some are doing the 10k, others are doing the half marathon, but all will be there on the finishing line to cheer him on in the phenomenal achievement.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
From the Galway City Tribune – An impassioned plea for a ‘masterplan’ that would guide Galway City into the future has been made in the Dáil. Galway West TD Catherine Connolly stated this week that there needed to be an all-inclusive approach with “vision and leadership” in order to build a sustainable city.
Deputy Connolly spoke at length at the crisis surrounding traffic and housing in Galway city and said that not all of the blame could be laid at the door of the local authority.
She said that her preference would be the provision of light rail as the main form of public transport, but that this would have to be driven by the government.
“I sat on the local council for 17 years and despaired at all of the solutions going down one road, metaphorically and literally. In 2005 we put Park & Ride into the development plan, but that has not been rolled out. A 2016 transport strategy was outdated at the time and still has not been updated.
“Due to the housing crisis in the city, a task force was set up in 2019. Not a single report or analysis has been published on the cause of the crisis,” added Deputy Connolly.
She then referred to a report from the Land Development Agency (LDA) that identified lands suitable for the provision of housing. But she said that two-thirds of these had significant problems and a large portion was in Merlin Park University Hospital which, she said, would never have housing built on it.
In response, Minister Simon Harris spoke of the continuing job investment in the city and also in higher education, which is his portfolio.
But turning his attention to traffic congestion, he accepted that there were “real issues” when it came to transport, mobility and accessibility around Galway.
“We share the view that we need a Park & Ride facility and I understand there are also Bus Connects plans.
“I also suggest that the City Council reflect on her comments. I am proud to be in a Government that is providing unparalleled levels of investment to local authorities and unparalleled opportunities for local authorities to draw down,” he said.
Then Minister Harris referred to the controversial Galway City Outer Ring Road which he said was “struck down by An Bord Pleanála”, despite a lot of energy having been put into that project.
However, Deputy Connolly picked up on this and pointed out that An Bord Pleanála did not say ‘No’ to the ring road.
“The High Court said ‘No’ to the ring road because An Bord Pleanála acknowledged it failed utterly to consider climate change and our climate change obligations.
“That tells us something about An Bord Pleanála and the management that submitted such a plan.”
In the end, Minister Harris agreed that there needed to be a masterplan for Galway City.
“I suggest it is for the local authority to come up with a vision and then work with the Government to try to fund and implement that.”
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
